by the QC staff
Alright so we all know the deal as New Year’s Eve approaches. Everyone does their yearly countdowns from moments to music to bla bla bla. Well the truth is, we drink heavily in December and we’re not going to feel like counting. We’re approaching mid-July and already some serious albums have been turned out in the first half of 2008. We make some obvious calls and throw in a few wild cards. In Rainbows gets thrown in with 2007 due to its digital release date. This post is fun and we hook it up with alot of free music. Check it.
Allison V: Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust by Sigur Ros
My pick would be Sigur Ros. Their fifth album, Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL Recordings 2008) switched off their darker melodies for something a little more upbeat. Not only did their album always make dance around my bedroom in my underwear and rock my head while walking down the street only to be caught by suspicious onlookers, but the Music Video by Ryan McGinnley made it that much better.
INNI MER SYNGUR VITLEYSINGUR BY SIGUR ROS:
Kristen: Oracular Spectacular by MGMT
MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular is the year’s perfect summer album. The Brooklyn band’s first full length release blends trippy psychedelic rock and catchy melodic pop into one happy love child a la TV on the Radio and the Flaming Lips. These are the songs that will keep you humming and bopping your head way after they are over. Even if you aren’t having the best day of your life as you’re listening to this record, you will be tricked into thinking you are.
Alex: Seventh Tree by Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp gets less electronic with the band’s fourth release Seventh Tree (Mute Records, Feb. 24, 2008), but the trade off is delightful. The album is a series of enlightened and uplifting tracks that serve as a vocal showcase of Allison Goldfrapp’s talent. Seventh Tree is elegant, accessible, and upbeat. Definitely worth bringing back for summer. It’s worth noting that I may have gone with Vampire Weekend or Hot Chip’s Made In The Dark at this spot but I got the Goldfrapp album late, plus I’ve become lonely.
Kevin: Airing of Grievances by Titus Andronicus
Airing of Grievances (Troubleman Unlimited, April 2008) is by all accounts a bombastic affair. Coming off as a better-produced Times New Viking, or a less emo version of Conner Oberst’s rock band Desaparecidos, Titus Andronicus is undeniably energetic, a quality that I currently hold in high regard given the stupidity of my day job. Tinny and exuberant, playful yet daunting, this is an album to put on when you’re having an existential crisis. Which, given the state of the world today, we all should be having.
TITUS ANDRONICUS BY TITUS ANDRONICUS:
Phil: Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket drop the reverb heavy, straight forward rock of past releases, for a much spacier, experimental album with Evil Urges (ATO Records, June 10, 2008). Combining elements of alt country, rock n roll and rhythm & blues, Evil Urges succeeds in channeling not only Lynrd Skynrd and Neil Young, but of all people, Prince. Evil Urges might be the most complex studio album yet, from the world’s greatest live band.
TOUCH ME I’M GOING TO SCREAM BY MY MORNING JACKET:
Marc: Ghost Rock by Nomo
Nomo improves on their already otherworldly sound on their third LP Ghost Rock (Ubiquity Records, June 15, 2008) in a big way. They introduce a new element reminiscent of radio wave technology that takes one of the hottest bands on the Afro-funk scene and makes them all the more Afro-funkalicious.
Brian: Consolers of the Lonely by The Raconteurs
I was really impressed by how The Raconteurs were able to mix it up from song to song on Consolers of the Lonely (Warner Bros. 2008). One second you’re rocking your face off and the next you’re knee deep in a crazy southern tale about a priest, a milkman and a dickhead. It’s great. The vocal duo of Jack White and Brendan Benson seemed to work a lot better this time around which is why I think this album kicks the crap out of Broken Boy Soldiers. Play loud with windows down.
